How Izumi and Sig Met
by MoonStarDutchess
Summary: --Completed--Sometimes love comes so quickly to those who aren't looking for it. That is what happened to Izumi when she journeyed into Dublith to pick up a few items for her alchemy teacher Dante. A short Izumi/Sig fiction for Izumi's Apprentice.
1. First Time in Dublith

**How Izumi and Sig Met **

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 1: First Time in Dublith**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA**

**AN: I thought I'd try a slightly different style of writing this time. This was only supposed to be an oneshot but it is so fun to write that I decided a multichapter fiction would be fun to do on something other than Royai. This is belated request from Izumi's Apprentice. It will be three or four chapters. Too many words to make into a oneshot and I didn't feel like doing a two part fiction. Hope you all enjoy it.  
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**Note: Aloofly is a word. (That's regarding an argument I had with someone once.)**

**Also keep in mind this is a rather young Sig and Izumi. I would say about 19 years old. Sig is about 21.  
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**First Time in Dublith  
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Dublith was a town located south of Central City, well known for not being well known and popular for not having anything interesting. Perhaps their lack of positive recreational activities was the reason for the majority of the city being tough as nails and ready to get in a slugfest over a broken pencil if someone said the wrong thing about it. The cops couldn't be more relaxed than if they were floating in midair and if a fistfight was to occur, chances were they'd be the ones taking the bets.

The children were innocent enough…for children of Dublith. There were young girls that loved their dolls and animals of course, typical girls to the outsider. However, if someone were to try to snatch said doll or animal the girl wouldn't meekly cry at them. No, not a girl raised in Dublith. Most likely, the offending person would end up with bite marks, one of their facial features bruised, missing a finger, or all of the above. The young boys played the typical games like tag, baseball, football, and who can tough out more hits to the head with a metal trashcan lid before they passed out. Yes, just typical kid games.

Then of course, there were the "mature" men and women of Dublith. They were the ones that were too old to play the kid games. They were the ones that could kill a person with a pretzel or cause one to absently wonder how they lost that limb in that all stakes Monopoly game without knowing it until a week later. The men liked their bars, drinking and women and the women liked their husbands home and far away from the bars, drinking, and women. It was because of this that the women became skilled in the martial arts of homemaking aka taking a rolling pin, frying pan, or any other heavy kitchen utensil to their husband's head if he wasn't home on time.

Safe to say, the doctor was the most well off man in the town and even he had to bandage his own cuts and bruises when he got a patient that didn't like needles, which were many people in the city. For people so tough, it was safe to say that needles were the only threat that one needed to get every badass in the city to behave themselves.

That was pretty much how Dante described it before Izumi ever stepped foot in the town but from what she'd seen so far, there was no truth to what her alchemy teacher said. Dublith seemed just the same as all the other small Amestrian towns that she'd visited. The roads weren't paved with beautiful stone like the cities. Instead it looked like the roads there got the leftovers from whatever the city didn't use and if one wanted to be specific, what was paved wasn't even technically roads; more like entranceways into the town.

A person entering Dublith would first be walking on rough pavement then find themselves walking on dirt, the dust flying up into the air in small puffs if the ground wasn't wet. If it were wet, then a visitor would find their boots caked with light-colored mud that looked like the horrid looking material surviving Ishbalans used to make their homes after the rebellion.

The houses were stalwart and well built, able to withstand the yearly windstorm that bombarded the small town in the spring. However, the walls of the houses were dusty, their owners most likely giving up on trying to keep them clean: either that or not caring. The buildings were one of two colors, light tan, which blended well with the environment around them, or dark red, which attracted the most dust yet, was such a relief to the monotonous neutral tones present around the town.

The further she walked into town the more green plants and different color buildings she saw. There were bigger houses than the one-story homes on the outskirts of the city. Some were even built with red brick and mortar that she knew had to be shipped into the town. However, even those large houses that were probably elegant at one point in time were in a significant state of disrepair.

She was quite surprised when the people walking past greeted her and smiled. It wasn't the required for manners, stick-in-the-ass way that people in Central or East city greeted, but like they truly were glad to see her. With the way the city's economy was, it wouldn't surprise her if they weren't sincere since visitors tended to spend money. She would spend a bit then she would be out of here and back to Dante that only lived a few miles from there. All of that training, all of those years and she'd never stepped foot in the town. If she had a heart, she'd almost believe that she felt a pang at leaving. There was something about the place that told her it would play an important part in her life.

She turned left into an alley following Dante's instructions exactly. If there was an alchemy supply store up this alley it was a piss poor place to put one. She kicked a small garbage can out of her way then heard a loud shriek and a hiss. A black cat ran out of it and stared at her, its gold eyes making it look as if it was possessed by some evil presence. She stared at the cat for a moment then simply walked past it, ignoring the way the hair on its back ascended from its skin.

She stepped over a few beer bottles and aloofly wondered if she would have to step over a homeless man before everything was said and done.

"Look at the babe fellas," she heard a gritty male voice say. She growled, knowing exactly what was coming. Single young woman in an alley all alone, a group of thugs that weren't nearly as tough as they thought they were, and liquor and their dicks were also a factor in the standard set up. This cliché was used so many times that one would think the thugs would get a hint and be more creative. Didn't they know that the odds were they'd get their asses kicked into next year?

She heard footsteps and turned to see that several large men came out of the side doorways of the alley.

"She's a pretty young thing," one of them said. The man in question was a tall guy with very tan skin. He had patches of dirt all over his shirt and his face was smudged with oil. His hair was dark green and in a bowl cut of all things. He had some sort of scar or birthmark, she couldn't tell for sure, on the right side of his face that reminded her of the letter F. It would be rather proper since from the way the guy carried himself he was clearly a Fucktard.

"Okay, look. I'm busy so it would save you guys a lot of grief if you just lie down on this ground and pretend I kicked your asses. That way, none of you will have anything broken or bruised and you won't have to explain to anyone how your dick was shoved up your ass by a woman."

As expected, this comment earned some growls.

"Who do you think you are missy?" another of the men said. This one would look identical to Fuehrer Bradley if Bradley was two hundred pounds larger. He grinned displaying a bunch of rotten teeth.

"I think I am fed up with this same damned cliché over and over again," she said, crouching down in a fighting stance.

"Let's just get to it," she growled.

The man with the F scar laughed loudly. "She's gonna fight us boys!"

All of the men started laughing until Izumi's foot happened to casually make contact with the nose of one of the men. She flipped around and landed on her feet, back into her defense position.

"Oops, my foot flew toward his nose. Sorry about that," she said.

"Get her boyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy," the man started to say but his last word trailed when he felt someone lift him by the collar, his feet leaving the ground completely. The man's eyes widened when he realized fully what was occurring.

Izumi blinked when a very large but quite attractive man slung the guy into a wall.

"You shouldn't pick on a lady," the man said, his voice deep and rich reminding Izumi of one of those brilliant bass singers she heard on the streets of West City.

"You are going to pay for that now!" one of the men said, pulling out two sharp knives. He twisted the knives in his hands, clearly displaying his professionalism with the sharp weapons. He finally stopped and readied himself for a charge when a fist connected directly with his nose, and a crack resounded throughout the alley. The man's eyes crossed, his knives dropped from his grip, and he fell forward onto the filthy ground.

For the first time in her life, Izumi wanted to laugh aloud at something. However, she didn't know if the guy that was "defending" her was friend or foe, despite his chivalrous actions. She decided that she would take care of the other men just so that the stranger knew not to mess with her. However, if the stranger wasn't afraid and he did have malicious intents then she didn't think she could really defend against him. Of course, she wouldn't let him know that. She glared at one of the guys that were now turned toward the new man that arrived.

She walked over to him, tapped him on the shoulder and when he turned she grinned and knocked him out. The men had forgotten all about her being there, which was most likely what the newly arrived stranger wanted to happen. The men still paid her no mind as they charged the man, who easily threw them away as if they were mere ragdolls. They hit onto broken beer bottles on the ground or into the stone walls, further dilapidating them.

The ones that could walk stood, grabbed the ones that were unconscious and ran out of the alley and into the street. The man turned to her and she growled.

"I could have handled that," she said.

"Hum," he replied. "Sig Curtis," he said, extending his hand to her. She blinked, surprised at the simple introduction. She was actually quite relieved that he wasn't a big talker. She got enough lectures from Dante to last a lifetime and wanted as less conversation as possible

She took his hand and felt something she'd never experienced during a handshake. Her hand felt so good in his and she felt, oddly, protected. She'd never had the need to feel that way before but now it was as if it was so right, as if she was an actual woman and not one of the boys or a mere student. However, she wouldn't, couldn't, let the man before her know that his mere touch incited all those feelings in her. That it made her heart speed up and her skin all tingly and that it scared her to death.

"Why are you here? There's nothing in this alley," he said, startling her from her thoughts. She pulled her hand away.

"I'm looking for Olaf's Alchemy Supplies," she said, finding it very easy to speak with the man before her.

"Olaf's moved," he said. "He's beside my shop. I am on my way there so I can show you."

"That's fine," she said, trying to distance herself from him: to be a friendly, yet indifferent stranger. She didn't want to let on in the slightest that she might be attracted to him. No, there was no might about it. That interest was there from the moment he slung that guy into a wall so gracefully.

She cursed to herself. The last thing she needed to do was get attracted to a complete stranger. If she weren't already messed up enough, love would be painting a coat of more insanity on the canvas of her already established mental instability.

"You live in Dublith?" he questioned, causing her to look up at him. Her gaze met his and it felt as if someone had hooked her to a battery. She couldn't look away as she walked. Exactly when she was beginning to answer him, an abrupt introduction by her face to a lamppost interrupted her and her vision faded.

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**AN: I am enjoyed writing this. They are such a fun couple to write for! Hope you enjoyed it and please review if you did. **


	2. Izumi's Crush and Denial

**How Izumi and Sig Met **

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 2: Izumi's Crush and Denial **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist and gain no profit from this fanfiction. Any similarities to people, living or dead, is purely coincidental.  
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**Izumi's Crush and Denial**

Izumi slowly opened her eyes, the lights slowly appearing like there were curtains rising and slowly revealing bright orbs. It felt like someone was taking small sewing needles and piercing her eyes, the pain threading around her skull like fire. She bit back a groan and closed her eyes again. She started to sit up until she felt two very large and calloused hands at her shoulders applying a slight pressure.

"You shouldn't get up yet," Sig said, pushing her back down on the couch gently. She then felt something wet on her forehead and reached up to feel that it was a cold compress. She opened her eyes slowly again and made out a slightly blurry vision of the huge man that helped her in the alley. He was sitting on a chair that was pulled up to the couch she was resting on.

"What happened?" she questioned, honestly having no memory of what caused her to end up in her current predicament.

"You ran into a lamppost on the way to Olaf's store," he said. There wasn't' the slightest bit of humor in his voice as he spoke, which surprised her greatly. Any other man would be laughing and making fun of her for being such a klutz. Hell, she was cursing herself out. She'd been in so many fights, took pride in never being knocked onto the ground in any of them, and here she lost to an inanimate object used for lighting a street. Her world really was turning upside down.

"Where am I?" she questioned.

"My house," he answered. "I would have taken you to the doctor but he's out of town getting more needles and bandages."

"Oh, I see."

She watched as he picked up a piece of paper from the table beside him. "This list fell out of your pocket so while you were resting I went to the shop to have it filled for you. Olaf is gone with the doctor and won't be back for three days."

"Oh that's just great," she said, slowly sitting up while holding the cold compress to her forehead. "Now I get an earful from Dante."

"Dante?"

"My alchemy teacher," she said.

"I see," he replied.

She offered him the best smile she could muster. "Do you have a phone?" she questioned.

"Over there," he said, motioning to a table pushed back against a huge bulletin board covered in various papers that looked like receipts and order forms.

She handed him the cold compress, thanked him, and walked over to the phone. She picked it up, lifted it to her ear, and frowned when there was no dial tone.

"I think there is something wrong with your phone," she said.

"I never said the phone worked," he said flatly.

Izumi stared straight ahead, her eyebrow twitching and her eyes narrowed into small slits, displaying her annoyance. Her face soon turned expressions from frustration to bewilderment like the changing of masks during those drama plays. She turned to him letting her expression shine through fully. "Why do you have a phone that doesn't work?"

"I think the company on the end of that phone now is better than any that would be on the other end if it was working," he said. She stared at him, her gaze met his, and the room went so silent she almost expected to hear a cricket chirp. "Phone lines are down," he said breaking the silence, and then added, "that first answer is called a joke."

"Why didn't you say the phones were down before I walked over here?" she questioned, not bothering to address his joke comment.

"You never asked," he stated.

His comment made her chuckle. That man was something else. He was so simple yet at the same time frustrating in his answers. If she didn't ask the question directly, then he wouldn't say more than what was needed. She never realized until now that it was a characteristic she found quite sexy. Then again, in the past she never thought about what she found sexy in the opposite sex. She really didn't care much about dating and the like, however, this man seemed just the type for her. She then gave herself a mental slap, trying to rid herself of the thought. The last thing she needed was to get involved in the love bull that so many people were caught up in.

"I really appreciate the help so much. If you could direct me to an inn where I can stay the night, I'll get out of your way," she said, ignoring slight unfamiliar pain that shot through her body. She actually felt horrible when she said that and actually didn't want to leave the guy.

"There's one at the corner of the town about three miles from here," he said. "I have a spare room here that you are welcome to," he replied.

"I wouldn't want to get in your way," she said.

"You aren't in the way," he replied. "I'm downstairs in the shop most of the time anyway."

"Shop? What is it you do?"

"Butcher," he said.

"I see. All right then," she looked around, feeling quite awkward for the first time in her life. "So, what is the running fee for inns here and I'll pay you the same amount," she said, reaching in her pocket for her moneybag.

"No need for that," he said. "You can stay for nothing."

She looked up at him, surprised that he would say such a thing.

"Are you sure?" she questioned.

"I wouldn't have said it if I wasn't sure," he stated. "I don't say anything I don't mean."

She smiled softly at him as he stood from his chair and took it back to, what she guessed to be, its previous location.

"That's good to see in people," she said.

He offered her a smile, and her heart started to speed up. She blamed it on the experience she went through that day and stubbornly ignored the real reason.

"What do you like to eat?" he questioned, walking into the next room. She followed him and watched him walk to the fridge. "I have just about anything you want."

"Why don't you let me cook? To repay you for letting me stay. I'd like to do something. Surely you have something better to do right?"

He stared at her for a moment drilling his gaze into her. This time she felt like melting on the spot, though her outward posture betrayed no signs of her feelings. What was it about his gaze that caused her to feel like a stick of melting butter? What was so damned special about this man that had her crushing like an adolescent girl with her first love interest?

"If you want to," he finally answered, causing her to break from her pondering.

"All right then," she said. "What do you-?"

"What is your name?" he questioned, interrupting her.

"Didn't I tell you that?" she questioned.

"I wouldn't be asking if you did," he replied.

"I suppose not," she said with another chuckle. She'd never been so amused before in her life. Well, except that time Dante ate those berries that gave her diarrhea. She'd never seen the old lady run so fast. "My name is Izumi."

"Spring," he said.

"What?"

"Your name means spring."

She was surprised to hear such a thing come from him. "I didn't know that," was all she could think of to say.

"It suits you," he replied then turned to go down stairs, leaving Izumi to think about what he meant by the comment.

She had an easy time fixing dinner when it came to the cooking, but she didn't know exactly how much he ate, so how much to fix was more difficult to figure out. It was obvious that he was a very big man and even smaller men tended to eat a great deal. She shrugged; if he didn't eat much then he would just have leftovers.

Much to her surprise, she fixed a bit more than needed. He ate a lot, but not as much as she thought he would. The dinner was pleasant as they ate in companionable silence. During that time, a strange feeling of familiarity washed over her. She felt like she knew the man before her for much longer than a few hours.

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He insisted that he wash the dishes since she was a guest, and no matter how much she protested on the matter, he wouldn't give in and let her do it. Finally, she got him to agree that she could dry them, even though he clearly displayed his displeasure at the idea.

"What is your last name?" he questioned, as they began their work on the pans and dinner dishes.

"Honestly?"

"I wouldn't hav-"

"I know, I know," she said with what seemed like the millionth chuckle she made that day, "you wouldn't have asked if you didn't mean it."

"You're learning," he said, laughing as well.

"As far as I'm concerned, I never had one. It's just Izumi. I've grown to just go by my first. "

"Hum…" he replied, deciding not to further inquire.

Izumi welcomed his uninquiring attitude. The last thing she wanted was to tell him about her dysphoric past. She didn't like relaying her sob story to anyone.

"How about you?" she questioned. "Don't you have any relatives living with you?"

"No," he said. "I don't have any relatives in this part of the country."

Izumi recognized the tone he used in answering his question so she didn't inquire further on the topic. If he wanted to say more, he would have said it. She laughed inwardly; she was growing used to him already. Whether that was bad or good was yet to be seen but she was leaning toward bad. Nothing good ever came out of what she did.

They finished the dishes and he showed her to the spare room. Luckily, the place had nice warm running water and she was able to clean up quite a bit before laying down on the soft mattress. She moved around a bit, growing accustomed to the different hills and valleys of the bedding. Despite some of the lumps, it was a hell of a lot more comfortable than the bed she had back at Dante's home.

She closed her eyes and sighed quite confused at the turn of events happening. However, the events that occupied her mind weren't the external ones such as the environment around her. They were inside her body, making her feel so many things foreign to her.

When she came to Dublith, she never thought she'd end up crushing on a man. He wasn't the type that the typical woman would go for, but then again, she wasn't exactly the typical woman. These feelings were bombarding her so quickly that it threw her normally functioning brain completely out of whack. Was this how it was supposed to be when one started falling for someone? Was it supposed to happen so quickly that you can't pinpoint the exact time when the feelings started? It felt like she was on a carousel and couldn't remember getting on it. Her feelings weren't something that gradually built up; they just hit her like a punch to the gut (for lack of a ladylike term).

She really needed to cut out the nonsensical thoughts that drifted in her brain. Sure, she found him attractive, kind, gentle, and different from most of the men she'd met. Most men she met were only interested in one thing and it didn't take an expert alchemist to realize what that was. It was rare to meet a genuinely good guy like she knew Sig was. She could just feel it.

Of course, despite her feelings for him, nothing would come of her little crush for two good reasons. One, she didn't plan to tell him about her sudden feelings, and two, he couldn't have fallen for her the way she did him. She just wasn't the type that any man fell for. She was too outrageous, was too much of a bitch, and could actually read.

She closed her eyes and sighed. No one would ever see her as anything but a raving harpy and she dealt with that fact long ago. She would be content learning all she could about alchemy then doing something with it, though she had no clue as to what it would be. Perhaps she would go around the country helping people or perhaps she would teach it like Dante.

She suddenly got a scary mental image of herself with gray hair and wrinkles, sitting in a chair with a blanket over her lap, drinking tea. Sometimes her imagination got the better of her. She honestly hoped if she got as cantankerous as that woman was that she would have a student that would put her out of her misery. Yes, she would only take on students that would be willing to kill her if she ever got anything close to resembling her crazy old lady alchemy master.

She sat up and hit the side of her head with the palm of her hand trying physically to rid herself of the vision. She growled and lay back down roughly. She pulled the soft covers over her body, deciding to try to sleep away the figment of her imagination.

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**AN: Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please give a little review if you wish. **


	3. Matchmaking Annoyances

**How Izumi and Sig Met **

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 3: Matchmaking Annoyances **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist and gain no profit from this fiction. **

**AN: I usually don't post two chapters at once but honestly, I wanted to get this up and finished for Izumi's Apprentice so I could work on some other requests I have in addition to a few other reasons. So I hope you enjoy the next two chapters.  
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**Matchmaking Annoyances **

Izumi woke up the next morning with a throbbing headache. She groaned when she sat up, the room spinning slightly as if she was on a merry go round that was just beginning its rotations. She squint her eyes and put both of her hands on the bed, fisting the sheets tightly. That knock on the head must have affected her more than she originally thought. She slowly lay back down and closed her eyes for a bit, hoping that they would dissipate soon.

After a few minutes of deep breaths and a relaxed posture, she opened her eyes and gazed at the ceiling, watching how it slowly stopped moving in her vision. She quirked a smile and slowly sat up. She blinked and was pleased to find that she was now feeling stationary. She threw the covers off her and placed her bare feet down upon the cool wooden floor. Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was still quite early, around 9a.m. She slowly stood up and readied herself just in case the dizziness decided to make another appearance. Much to her delight, it didn't so she got dressed, donned her shoes, and made her way out of the room.

She didn't know if Sig was awake yet so she did her best to be very quiet. Maybe she would make him breakfast, just to make herself useful and to pay him back in a small way for allowing her to stay there. Izumi smiled softly as she walked into the kitchen. She was surprised to find a plate sitting on the table with a cover, and a folded piece of paper bearing her name sitting beside it. She walked over and lifted the lid to see bacon, eggs, toast, and pancakes.

"He's certainly up with the chickens," she said, and pulled out her chair to sit down. Usually she would be up at dawn but she reasoned that her head injury and journey there had really taken a lot of her energy away from her. Now she would definitely have to do something else for him.

After she ate, she made her way down to the butcher shop and stopped at the door as he lifted a huge piece of meat onto a chopping block. Her stomach got queasy as she watched the muscles in his arms flex, displaying his muscles. She leaned against the side of the door as the dizziness overtook her once more, and she was sure her head injury wasn't the cause.

"You alright?" he questioned. She shot up straight from her leaning position and nodded, surprised that he realized she was there when his back was facing her.

"Yes, I am fine," she said.

"Did you get some breakfast?" he questioned.

"Yes, it was wonderful. Thank you for that," she said.

"You're welcome," he said as he worked on chopping the beef. She walked over to stand at his side and watched him work.

"So how long have you been a butcher?" she questioned.

"Fifteen, my father was a butcher," he said.

"Really? A family practice, that's nice. Is your father living?" she asked, with honest interest in the man before her. She tended to savor traditional ways of the world since her life had never been even close to orthodox.

"I don't know," he said.

That response surprised Izumi greatly. "You don't know?"

"No," he said. "That's what I—" the phone rang, cutting him off.

"They must have fixed the lines," she said, turning her gaze to the phone.

"So hell froze over then," he replied and walked over to the phone on the wall.

"Curtis Butcher shop," he answered, his voice sounding less gruff than it usually did. "Yes, I will bring it over Madame Carver. You are welcome. Goodbye," he said and hung up the phone.

Izumi smiled at him slightly as he turned around. "Would you mind keeping an eye on the shop while I take an order to a customer?" he asked.

Izumi perked up. "Would you like me to do it for you? That way you won't lose any customers while you are gone. Obviously, I can't run a butcher shop. All you have to do is give me the directions."

"You are sure you want to do that?" he questioned, a bit uneasy over her offer. She guessed it was probably because she was his guest.

"Of course I am sure. It's the very least I could do with you being so kind to me. Please, it would make me feel better," she replied. She laughed inwardly at herself. She was acting like an actual lady for once. Then again, it was the first time anyone treated her like one.

"Okay then," he replied and walked over to the freezer to get the woman's order and then handed it to her.

"The directions are easy. Just go down the road until you come to the forks, then turn left. It's house 120."

"Got it," she said, and left the shop, not noticing that Sig was grinning slightly at her, admiring her form.

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Izumi easily found the forks of the road and made her way up the left street as instructed. She laughed lightly at all of the houses trying to imitate the elegant suburbs of other cities and failing miserably. The mailboxes, all painted blue and accented with chipping white paint, were lined up in the same spot beside all the gates but they were leaning left and right, the paint peeling from the posts that they sat on. The sidewalks were chipping badly, making them quite hazardous to walk on. All the houses were in the same condition and every single one of them were in states of disrepair. Some of the fences of the yards were leaned over, while some were staying upright by some miracle.

She made her way up to house 120 and carefully went through the gate.

"Sharron! Pans aren't made to be used as projectiles!"

"They are when you don't get your ass in until morning! What were you doing? Drinking with those sluts down at the bar?"

"Your sisters work at the bar!" Izumi heard the male voice protest.

"Like I said! Sluts!" the woman said as she opened the door. She smiled widely at Izumi.

"Hi there! Can I help you?"

"Yes, I am delivering this from the butcher," she said, not fazed in the slightest at the violent actions of the couple.

"Aww are you Sig's girlfriend?" the woman suddenly asked, catching Izumi off guard as she took the package and handed her the money for it.

"Um…well…n —" she found herself not wanting to say no and could feel her cheeks growing hot under the woman's scrutiny.

"Hey Dick! Sig's got a new girlfriend," the woman said, cutting Izumi off mid-sentence."

"No way!" the man said, walking up to the door. He was holding an icepack against his head. "And she's a looker too!"

Suddenly the man was greeted with an elbow to the gut causing him to lean over and cough. "Damn, that hurt."

"Good," she snapped then smiled at Izumi. "He's always so lonely. It's good to see he's got a girlfriend."

"There's a misunderstanding, I'm not his girlfriend," she said.

The woman's face suddenly dropped as the guy finally straightened up to his full height.

"Pity," she said with a sigh. "He's been lonely since he got here so many years ago. It really is sad indeed. Everyone loves him but he just doesn't seem to open up to anyone."

"I see," Izumi said, understanding completely about not opening up and even more about being lonely.

"How did you come to work for him?"

"Oh, I came here to pick up some supplies for my teacher and he let me stay at his place instead of an inn. I'm doing this stuff to pay him back for his kindness."

She was surprised when the two people before her paled and their mouths dropped open.

"Are…are you serious? He let you stay with him?"

"Yes, why?"  
"Sig would never do that for anyone," she replied. "He's a very private man."

"Well…um…I don't know what to say about that," she said.

"Well…Do you like him?"

"I just met him a day ago," she said.

"You do like him," Dick stated.

"I should go," Izumi replied, confused as to why she let those people goad her right into a conversation longer than necessary.

"Loneliness is a powerful thing and so is love," the woman said. Izumi stopped and turned. She glared at the couple still standing in the door.

"I've not known you for more than three minutes and you are trying to give me love advice. You are a bit presumptuous aren't you?"

"This is Dublith. Of course, we are presumptuous," she said and pointed at the sign above their door that said Pre-Marriage and Marriage Counseling.

"You have got to be kidding me! You threw something at his head earlier, I heard you!"

"So? Your point is?" Sharron said. "That's normal marriage for Dublith residents."

Izumi raised an eyebrow and slowly turned and walked away. When she got out of sight, she suddenly began laughing. It seemed that this city was just the place she should reside: if she ever decided to settle anywhere. Apparently, people here were as warped as she was.

She made her way back to the butcher shop and walked through the door to see that Sig was dealing with two old women. They both turned to her and smiled. She uneasily offered one back, having the strangest feeling that something embarrassing was coming up and it would be directed straight at her.

"Sig! Here's your chance to snag a woman," one of the old women said with a wink in his direction. Izumi turned to look at Sig when she heard him groan and move back behind the counter, a light blush covering his cheeks. She thought it was extremely cute.

She turned back to look at the women, nodded a greeting, and walked back into the butcher area of the shop.

"Better wash my meat before I cook it. God knows what went on back there," the other woman joked. The two women laughed wildly as they made their way out of the shop. Izumi blushed deep red when she realized what the woman was implying.

"Sorry about that," Sig said when he saw Izumi.

"What is it with people wanting to match you up?"

"Pardon? You mean you had others that wanted to…"  
"Yeah," she stated. That Carver woman she…well…she got curious."

He sighed and walked back over to the counter where he was previously working. Grabbing a rag, he began wiping it off, paying close attention to the oil residue left by the flesh previously sitting there.

After he didn't speak for some time, Izumi opened her mouth to question him. Words never left her mouth, "People feel the need that everyone around here has to be married, especially a single man."

"It's it supposed to be vise versa?"

"Not around here. If you want to get along around here, the first thing you realize is that nothing is normal. I think that's why everyone gets along so well, we never fit in anywhere else."

"I know the feeling," she said, sitting down on a chair against the wall. "I never fit in anywhere either. I think that's why I started studying alchemy, to try to become more than just a freak with nothing. Maybe a freak with at least some semblance of talent." As soon as those words left her mouth, she cursed. She didn't want to reveal that much to him. It was just that he was extremely easy to talk with.

"Sorry, to let loose on you like that," she said.

"It's nothing to apologize for," he replied, smiling at her.

"How about you? Why are you here? Can I ask that?"

He started to open his mouth when a voice called his name.

"That's the doctor," he said, and headed out of the kitchen, Izumi following him.

"Hey, Sig, got any steak cut yet? We got back early and I am starving for a good steak," the doctor looks at Izumi and smiles. "You Sig's girlfriend?" He asked, causing a light blush to spread across her cheeks.

"Shut it doctor or you will be stitching yourself up," she heard Sig threaten, causing her to laugh.

"Well, it's about time you get a woman," he said.

"She's here waiting on Olaf to get back," Sig said.

"I see, well he's in his shop right now. I think he would be willing to get you what you need even if he's not officially open."

"Thank you," she said and turned to Sig. "Do you mind if I leave my things here while I got get what I need?"

"No, I don't mind, go ahead," Sig replied and watched her leave the shop, with a bit of a sad look. He would be very very sorry to see her leave. He felt like a fool for growing fond of the woman already, because he knew that there was no way a woman like her would ever fall for a man like him. It just didn't happen.

"Sig my boy, you shouldn't let that girl leave without so much as a word," the doctor said. "I can tell how you feel for her just by that look you gave her as she left."

"Forget it," he replied gruffly, while wrapping the steak in brown paper.

"Are you saying you don't like the girl?"

"No, I like her."

"Then what's the problem?

"You know the problem," he said.

"You aren't the guy that women fall for? Is that what you are saying?" Sig didn't answer him as he put the steaks in a bag and handed it to the doctor. "From what I've see, that girl seems to be very fond of you. Did you see how red she got when I inquired about the girlfriend question?"

Sig narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on his meat cleaver. "Do you see this cleaver in my hands? Don't make me use it on some other flesh other than beef, chicken, lamb, or pork."

The doctor narrowed his eyes and growled. "Don't make me get out my needles!"

"I'm not afraid of needles," Sig said. Unlike the other occupants of Dublith, the doctor couldn't threaten him with injections.

"Um… okay, I relent," the doctor said, backing down and relaxing his posture. "Seriously Sig, you like her, she likes you. It's perfect."

"She's leaving," Sig replied.

"Then stop her," the doctor said, taking the bag from Sig. "Or at least tell her you are interested in her. Maybe she'll stay a bit longer."

"Go home doctor," he replied.

"Alright, but you are letting a good thing slip through your fingers if you let that girl go," he said and left the shop. He walked down the street and glanced at Olaf's shop. A mischievous grin crossed his face and he laughed. If Sig wasn't going to do anything, then he would.

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**AN: I know it's going by really quickly and that is purely intentional. This is just meant to be a cute, quick chapter fiction. I hope you are enjoying it. **


	4. A Kiss and Confession

**How Izumi and Sig Met **

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 4: A Kiss and Confession. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA**

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**A Kiss and Confession**

The doctor whistled happily, as he made his way into the back door of the shop. As he suspected, Olaf was getting some supplies. His wife had insisted that most of the things be put back there in favor of the more expensive items being out front. Unfortunately, for her, the items that cost a lot never were sold. Nevertheless, the woman was stubborn and still insisted that people would buy them eventually.

"Hey Olaf," the doctor said.

The man looked up from his work and nodded at the doctor. "Just a second I'm getting someone's order."

"It would happen to be a good looking woman with black braids would it?"

Olaf looked surprised at the doctor's guess. "Yes, how did you know that? Did you see her come into the shop?"

"Come here my friend," he said, grabbing the man's arm and dragging him over to the door. They looked out an Izumi standing there at the counter, waiting on her order. "You see, she's got the hots for Sig Curtis and he feels the same way. What they need is a tiny bit more time and you are going to help give them that.

"I am?" he questioned.

"Yes, you are," the doctor said.

"Okay Doc, just what are you planning this time? Last time you got me involved in matchmaking my wife thought I'd turned drag queen and almost literally made me a woman with a pair of scissors and two knitting needles."

The doctor cringed, "Yeah I remember that incident. You were a nervous wreck for a month. I promise though, this plan won't be nearly as dangerous to your masculine area. All you have to do is tell her that you don't have a shipment in of some of the ingredients and that you'll have them in, say, three days. That should be enough time."

"That's it?" Olaf said.

"That's it. Then we'll leave the rest up to fate."

"And if fate doesn't intervene?"

"Oh, it will my friend. It will."

"You are certainly confident. Well, if you have that much confidence then I'll trust you. However, if this ends with me in some kind of dress I will kill you with one of those ugly letter openers my wife is trying to sell out front."

"Fair enough," the doctor replied.

Olaf straightened his collar and walked out front. "I'm so sorry Miss, but it seems that we are out of saltpeter, iodine, and a few other ingredients on this list. We should get a new shipment in, within a few days."

Izumi sighed; this was just her luck. For every day that she was delayed, she knew the bitching from Dante would increase a small percentage. The woman didn't like to be kept waiting.

"Could I use your phone? I need to know if my alchemy teacher wants me to just come back with what you do have or not."

"Um…sure…"

"Damn!" the doctor muttered from his vantage point. This wasn't supposed to be happening.

Izumi picked up the phone and growled. "This phone doesn't work?"

"Yes, it does. The lines must be down again."

"Again? But they were working this morning. How often do these things die?"

"Very often," Olaf said, trying to hide his amusement. Perhaps the doctor was right, perhaps fate did want this young woman and Sig to get together.

Olaf laid the list on the counter and smiled at Izumi. "If you will tell me your name I can notify you of when I have your items."

"Izumi," she said.

"And your last name?"  
"It's just Izumi," she replied.

"I see," Olaf said. He wrote her name down on the list and tacked it up on a bulletin board beside the door. He turned back around. "Where are you staying?"

"I…well, probably at an inn. I'll come back and tell you when I find a place."

"Alright then, have a nice day," he said, watching her walk to the door.

"Thank you," she replied and left the shop.

The doctor walked out into the front of the shop. "Fate my friend, fate."

--

Izumi muttered to herself as she walked back to Sig's shop. Why was everything making it harder and harder to leave this town? If it wasn't the circumstances surrounding her, it was the fact that she didn't want to leave. She really liked the odd people; she liked the closed in surrounds and the feelings as if she belonged for once. Most of all, she liked the man that ran the butcher shop. That kind man that let her stay with him when he could have just let her wonder around without a clue where the closest inn was. He was someone that actually understood her feelings about being alone and not having anyone to care for her and vice versa. He knew about that strong self-reliance that she had to develop within her. Moreover, she knew the he knew this because she watched him and he was very much the same as she.

Now it was bringing trouble and annoyances upon him. It wasn't right that the townspeople teased him about her, that they got the wrong idea. If she left, then maybe they would stop harassing the man that she'd grown to have feelings for against her better judgment.

She walked into the shop and through the door to the back.

"Did you get what you needed?" Sig asked, as he looked up from chopping up some more beef.

"No, he said it would take another three days. Since it will take so long I'll find an inn somewhere so I'll be out of your way," she said, walking over to him.

"You don't have to do that. It's fine if you stay here. I mean, you can leave if you feel uncomfortable but …"

"It's not that at all. . . I'm…I'm very comfortable around you. But aren't you annoyed with all the…talk that's bound to happen?"

"Talk?"

"About um…me being your girlfriend."

"If it isn't that then it's always something else. I'm used to it. If you want to say then you can stay," he said.

"Do you want me to stay?"She asked before she thought better of it. Her tone was actually…gentle. It was definitely a side that she wasn't used to showing to anyone.

He turned his head toward her, leaned down, and grinned. Something that he himself was surprised he did.

"I'd like you to stay," he said. "Only if you want to."

She smiled at him and nodded. "I'll stay then."

They were so close to each other that they could feel each other's breaths. Their eyes locked and before Izumi knew it, she'd pressed her lips against his in a soft kiss. She pulled away and blushed.

"I'm…I'm sorry about that!" she said, turning as red as the bloodied meat that was on his chopping block.

"Are you really?" he questioned, straitening up and beginning work as if nothing happened.

Izumi realized the way he took it and shook her head rapidly. She rested her hand on top of his and he turned his gaze to look at her. "I didn't mean it like that. I mean, I shouldn't have done that because well, it wasn't right. We've just met and well…damn it. I feel like I've—"

"Known you forever," Sig finished, interrupting her sentence.

Izumi nodded and sat down on a stool beside the work area. "I don't get it. I'm terribly confused at it all. I was just supposed to come here, get Dante's supplies and leave. I wasn't supposed to fall in …love."

Sig's eyes widened upon her confession then went back to normal as he gazed at the girl sitting there with her head looking at her lap. "I never expected that a girl who ran into a lamppost after fighting off a bunch of drunks would be the one I feel in love with either."

She looked up in shock. This man before her really knew how to draw out emotions she didn't know she even had the ability to express. "You love me?"

"I think I do. I'm not really good with knowing about things like that."

"Same here," she said.

Sig started stocking the meat into the freezer case and didn't say a word for a while. Izumi stood, grabbed a cloth, and started cleaning the counter. The two were still reeling from their confessions and didn't know what to do about their emotional situation.

Their hand both reached for a cleaning cloth on the sink, his covering hers and she stared up at him with a smile. With that small touch, they knew what they should do. As cliché as it was. They knew it would last between them. That there was some unshakable bond there that would never be broken no matter what happened.

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Three days later, the doctor saw Izumi talking to someone going out of the city. It was over, she was leaving, and Sig would be alone once again. He thought for sure that fate would have intervened and found that she and Sig would be together. It was the first time in his year s of matching people up, that he'd been wrong. He vowed that he would never again try to match a couple up.

He grabbed his coat and hat, locked up his office, and made his way over to Sig's butcher shop. He met Olaf on the way.

"She's leaving," Olaf said, stepping into pace with the doctor.

"I saw," he said.

"Heading to Sig's?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Yeah," he said.

Both men were very surprised when they saw Sig sitting outside on one of the chairs, a glass of lemonade in his hand and a pitcher resting on the table. They both wondered why he wasn't absorbed in his work and where he learned to make lemonade.

They both walked up to the man who merely gazed at them.

"We're sorry Sig, we saw Izumi leaving town," Olaf said.

"Oh? You did?"

"Yeah, I swear I wouldn't have tried to match you two up if I didn't think she was the woman for you. I swear I have given up matchmaking ever again."

"Matchmaking? What do you mean matchmaking," Sig boomed, his voice making the doctor jump. He sat down the lemonade much roughly that he should have.

"Well, I asked Olaf here to hold the supplies for her so that she could stay longer and perhaps you two could see that attraction you held for each other. I guess I was wrong."

"You did what!" a feminine voice boomed. The two men turned to see Izumi standing there. Instead of her old outfit, she now wore a white sleeveless shirt that went down to her knees and a pair of black leggings. On her feet, she wore a pair of house slippers.

"It's you!"

"Damn right! Do you realize the bitching out I am going to get because my alchemy teacher's supplies are late? Well you are going to! Go get on that wagon over there, and we'll be there in a moment. You are going to explain exactly what happened, to my teacher AND you are going to be the ones to tell her that I am quitting. I'm not even going to set foot on the premises and you will be left to her ramblings."

"Make us!" Olaf said, standing up for himself. He yelped, and his eyes widened when Izumi picked him up and tossed him across the street and into the wagon she borrowed and drove to the shop. She turned to glare at the doctor, placing her hands on her hips once more.

"I'm going, I'm going," the doctor said turning to the wagon he stopped mid street and turned around. "Quitting? Does this mean you are staying? Here?"

Sig put an arm around Izumi's shoulder and narrowed his eyes. "Get into the wagon," he said.

The doctor smiled widely. "So my matchmaking worked! The master matchmaker strikes aga—" he was greeted with a rock to the face, courtesy of the future Mrs. Curtis.

**The End**

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**AN: Now, I know I am going to get someone to say, this engagement happened too quick, well, I'll tell you my reasons for making it so. Izumi and Sig have always reminded me of my Grandmother and Grandpa and I decided that I would base their relationship on something that happened to them. My GP and GM met at 16 years old and got engaged after 5 days (remember that this was a really really long time ago). Everyone said, it shouldn't have happened. Well guess what? They stayed married until they were 80 years old. That was when my grandmother died. My grandpa insisted that he and grandmother never feel out of love and the day he died he mentioned my grandmother. My parents only dated for a few weeks and they've been married for going on 27 years. It can happen that quickly, though it's rare, and I see that in Izumi and Sig. Thank you so much for reading and please review this fiction. **


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